Santee’s coldwater slabs

Fishing guide Matt Outlaw shows off two December slabs from the Santee Cooper lakes. (Photo by Brian Cope)

Catch Christmas crappie on the Santee Cooper lakes

Many crappie anglers fish through spring, then again in fall, but forego December, and that’s a big mistake. Professional angler and guide Matt Outlaw of Outlaw Outdoors Guide Service said this is one of his favorite months to catch crappie, and he’s got big reasons for that.

“December is a good month for numbers of crappie, and also for good-sized crappie. You can catch some really big fish here in December,” he said.

Anglers accustomed to chasing these fish in shallow water throughout the spring will need to adjust their tactics for this month. But it’s not too difficult with the proper equipment.

“You need to find them on deep brush piles by using your electronics. And that doesn’t mean you need LiveScope,” Outlaw said. “Side imaging, down imaging, whatever you use to find brushpiles will get you started.”

When speaking of “deep brush piles,” Outlaw (803-936-9554)said “deep” is a relative term.

“That varies on different lakes. ‘Deep’ on Santee means anywhere from 20 to 35 feet of water. That’s where you’ll find the biggest concentrations of crappie this month,” he said.

Big numbers of fish

And while finding deep brush piles is half the battle, he said it’s the other half that can be discouraging to some folks.

“Earlier in the fall, you can find some fish on most every brush pile you come across. But in December, you’ll have some brush piles that simply have no fish on them,” he said.

However, with a little patience, the payoff is bigger.

“But the good thing is, when you do find brush with crappie, it will be a lot of crappie. They will be stacked up in huge numbers on the brush that is holding fish,” he said. “Some days, you just have to put in the time to check multiple brush piles before you find one with fish. But when you find it, it’s game on.”

Matt Outlaw shows off a big Santee slab. (Photo by Brian Cope)

As for fishing the upper or lower lake, Outlaw said they’re both equally good.

“If you spend enough time on either lake, you’ll find plenty of brush piles. And plenty of them will hold quality crappie this month,” he said.

Many of the deep brush piles he fishes are in open water, far from shore. Others though, are just outside of, and even within, pockets of cypress trees that are a stone’s throw away from dry land.

“In some areas here at Santee, you’ll have 6, 7 feet of water, then a drop off to 20 feet. In December, a brush pile in that 20-foot depth can be a gold mine,” he said.

And while he said anglers can be successful with basic electronics, he also said LiveScope, which is one of the more advanced pieces of electronics, can make life easier.

“You can find brush piles with basic electronics, and you can even see if they have fish on them with basic electronics. But with LiveScope, you’re seeing the fish move in real time,” he said.

That may sound like just a novelty, but it’s much more.

“The ability to watch how the fish are reacting to your bait or lure is invaluable. And LiveScope gives you that ability,” he said.

A tiny jig tipped with a small minnow is sometimes necessary to convince sluggish crappie into biting. (Photo by Brian Cope)

Baiting up

Speaking of lures and bait, Outlaw likes to have artificial jigs on hand, and he rarely leaves shore without some live minnows too.

In December, you want to use small lures and small minnows.

“I use small, 1-inch to 1 1/4-inch Crappie Monster jigs and Black Sheep jigs. In December, I’m usually fishing them on 1/16-ounce jigheads. If the bite is especially tough, I’ll go down to 1/32-ounce, and even as small as 1/64 if I’m having trouble getting them to bite,” said Outlaw.

He said 90-percent of the time in December, he fishes these jigs without minnows. But he advises anglers to always carry some live minnows along.

“Some days, they just will not bite unless you put a live minnow on your hook. I’ll use the same jigs and tip them with minnows, and sometimes I’ll just use minnows,” he said. “On really tough days you’ve just got to experiment until you start catching them.”

The minnows he uses are also tiny.

“This month, I use the smallest minnows I can find,” he said.

Once Outlaw finds brush with crappie on it, he watches his LiveScope monitor, stays 20 to 40 feet away from the fish, then casts his jigs using 7-foot Precision Casting Rods from Catch The Fever with a spinning reel loaded with 4- to 6-pound Slime Line monofilament. Then he watches how the fish react to his lure.

Staying a good casting-distance away from the fish is a good tactic this month. (Photo by Brian Cope)

Keep it up

“I work the reel just enough to keep my lure above the fish. I’m constantly trying to keep that bait over the top of those fish. When the lure is out of the strike zone, I reel in and do it again,” he said.

Outlaw watches the fish on his LiveScope screen, and when one reacts to his lure, he slowly reels in, mimicking the reaction a baitfish would have.

“A lot of anglers, when they see a crappie move toward their lure, they pause or drop the lure to the fish. That usually turns the fish off, because it’s not a natural reaction that a live minnow would have,” he said. “A live minnow would swim away from that fish. So I reel it slowly away, just like a minnow would naturally swim. And that often triggers a bite.”

As good as December is for crappie at Santee, Outlaw said some days are just tougher than others.

“It’s one of my favorite months to fish. Generally speaking, it is a month with lots of action and quality fish. But one thing that can turn the fish off is muddy water,” he said.

It’s not often that happens, but when it does, it can completely wreck the fishing.

“If we get a lot of rain and the water gets muddy, those fish will scatter and it’s a no-go as far as fishing is concerned. It’s best to just wait out days like that,” he said.

His ideal day this month?

“I love it when it’s 50 to 60 degrees and overcast. That usually means the barometric pressure is low, and that almost always means great fishing,” he said.

Outlaw is a full-time guide at Santee, and specializes in crappie, bluegill and shellcracker. You can reach him at 803-413-8236 and see his fishing updates at facebook.com/outlawoutdoorsguideservice.

A long net is great for landing crappie without the need to guide them all the way to the boat, which is crucial due to the fish’s paper-thin mouths. (Photo by Brian Cope)

Get the net

Many crappie anglers hook fish far from the boat, only to lose them while trying to guide them into conventional nets, most of which have short handles.

The problem arises from the need for anglers to hook fish on long rods, which are sized to allow anglers to catch fish while keeping the boat far enough away that it doesn’t spook the fish.

The Matthew Outlaw Signature Series Net and the Scoper Edition Outlaw Landing Net, both from Crappie Monster, solve this common problem.

Each net features a lightweight, aluminum handle paired up with a large net bag that’s the perfect size for true slabs.

The Scoper Edition features a 48-inch handle and weighs a total of 8.5 ounces. The Signature Series net is adjustable from 6 feet to a whopping 12 feet.

Whether you’re fishing in a tournament, just fishing for fun, or fishing to fill the freezer, these nets, available at othfishing.com, will aid you in getting more of your catches into the boat .